1. Imperialism in China

2. Effects of Imperialism
The Europeans generally had a very negative impact on the regions that they colonized

3. Imperialism in China
In the early 1800s,  the British were losing money because they were highly dependent upon imported tea from China, but China did not find value in anything the British offered for trade
To solve this trade imbalance, Britain imported opium, processed from poppy plants, into China

4. Opium

5. Imperialism in China Cont...
Chinese officials attempted to ban the importation of the highly addictive opium, but ultimately failed

6. Imperialism in China Cont...
The British declared war on China in a series of conflicts called the Opium Wars

7. Imperialism in China Cont...
Superior British military technology allowed them to claim victory and subject the Chinese to a series of unequal treaties

8. Imperialism in China Cont...
According to the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, the Chinese were to:
Reimburse Britain for costs incurred fighting the Chinese
Open several ports to British trade
Provide Britain with complete control of Hong Kong
Grant extraterritoriality to British citizens living in China
Guaranteed that European citizens in China were only subject to the laws of their own nation and could only be tried by their own courts

9. Imperialism in China Cont...
Several European nations followed Britain, forcing China to sign a series of unequal treaties
Eventually, western nations grew weary of governing foreign lands so they established spheres of influence within China

10. Spheres of Influence in China

11. Impact of Imperialism in China
The people of China did not like being ruled by European nations
As a result, they fought to kick out the Europeans (also called Westerners) and gain independence

12. Boxer Rebellion Led by Chinese nationalists in 1900
Chinese tried (but failed) to gain independence from the various European nations that controlled them
Foreign nations formed an international coalition that ended the rebellion
With this victory, additional areas of China fell under foreign control

13. Boxer Rebellion